Special Education

Rights Bill: The U.S. Senate quickly passed a reauthorization
last week of the 36-year-old Developmental Disabilities Assistance and
Bill of Rights Act, making minor changes to the law that focuses on
providing services to people with severe and lifelong, pervasive
disabilities.

The federal law encourages and supports state and school efforts to
provide inclusive education and early-intervention services for
youngsters with such conditions, as well as projects to provide
employment opportunities and family services for people with severe
disabilities.

Overall, S 1809—which passed the Senate on a voice vote on
Nov. 8—would seek to better coordinate services between state
agencies, advocacy groups, and local centers to help developmentally
disabled adults, particularly in underserved minority groups, lead more
independent lives and obtain access to needed services. It also would
provide incentives for states to offer jobs to such disabled
workers.

The reauthorization would also establish new scholarships of up to
$2,000 for postsecondary education or training for the caretakers of
students with severe, lifelong disabilities. And it seeks development
of a curriculum to train those workers, as well as the family members
of people with such disabilities.

The bill passed the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Committee by a voice vote on Nov. 3. Committee Chairman James M.
Jeffords, R-Vt., praised the bill as a bipartisan work that came about
after months of discussions with disability- rights and family-advocacy
groups and states.

"It ensures that those that are among the most vulnerable are
protected, supported, and encouraged to achieve their potential," he
said shortly before the committee vote.

The House has not released a counterpart bill and will likely take
up the Senate version next year.

Web Information:The School Library Journal has sorted
through hundreds of special education Internet sites and compiled a
free listing of the best and most useful spots on the World Wide Web
for educators and parents.

All of the sites listed are geared toward adults who work with
children with disabilities. Author and librarian Gail Junion-Metz
includes sites with primers on special education issues and resources
for teachers.